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As life expectancy rises, society must prepare for aging masses

Opinion: A child born today in Canada faces a life expectancy of 80 years

According to the 2011 census, there were 5,825 centenarians in Canada, representing the second fastest growing age group in the country.

Photograph by: Ward Perrin
, Vancouver Sun Vancouver Sun

Canada’s seniors are facing dramatic shifts in the economic, demographic and social fabric of our society. The global recession, health care reform, the aging of our “baby boomer” generation, emerging diseases such as dementia and multiple-chronic illnesses, as well as work-family tensions have dramatically changed the landscape for seniors in 2012 and beyond.

That is why during the 41st annual scientific and educational meetings of the Canadian Association on Gerontology (held in Vancouver Oct. 18-20), we chose the theme of aging in a changing world to encapsulate the cutting-edge research findings from the plenary addresses that were presented to an audience of more than 750 conference attendees, the largest conference of its kind in over a decade.

During his address at the opening ceremony, Tom Perls, the world-renowned geriatrician at Harvard Medical School, was adamant in his assertion that the entire concept of aging is being redefined. Perls cited the fact it is more common for individuals to live beyond the age of 100 than ever before. Perls is correct; according to the 2011 census, there were 5,825 centenarians in Canada, a staggering number representing the second fastest growing age group in our society.

Perls noted that a child born today in Canada is facing a life expectancy of 80 years (B.C. has the highest life expectancy in Canada at 84 years), however, that same child should expect to live well into their 90s, while many will reach 100 years of age, assuming mortality rates continue to decline.

Perls has gone so far as to create a website (www.livingto100.com) that allows an individual to calculate their likely remaining years based on their lifestyle and family background. There are different routes and factors that impact one’s ability to became a centenarian, but the underlying message of Perls address was clear; society must be prepared to tackle this dramatic change in life expectancy.

In order to mend Canada’s fragmented home care and community support system, University of Victoria professor Neena Chappell and Quebec’s Minister of Health Réjean Hébert recommended an integrated care model. Hébert presented compelling data demonstrating that countries such as Denmark have lower expenditures on their overall health care because they have invested in an efficient, accessible home care delivery system that keeps people out of more expensive long-term care and hospital beds. Comparatively, Canada’s system falls well short of Denmark’s example.

In discussing the role of technology, Geoff Fernie, the director for research at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, discussed many of the new products his state-of-the-art lab is developing. In combating everything from sleep apnea to falls, Fernie highlighted innovative technologies including inexpensive and portable devices that can be used by a single health care worker to lift or transfer immobile patients without injury to the patient or themselves, transferable plastic leg-style handrails that can be installed anywhere, and even specialized inexpensive footwear that can stick to ice and snow.

The conference also highlighted the unfortunate ways in which aging women lag behind their male counterparts in retirement planning. University of Minnesota professor Phyllis Moen educated the audience on how women are often sacrificing their own healthy aging for their spouses and children. She argued, however, that the next generation of baby boomer women will transition later into retirement and with more resources (although many will be low income), but also challenged that group to redefine their expectations and behaviours.

The topic of Alzheimer’s disease was also at the forefront of discussion. Howard Feldman, a professor of neurology at UBC, lamented the disappointing clinical results of several multibillion-dollar experimental pharmaceutical treatments during his address. He informed the audience that the clinical manifestations of Alzheimer’s disease arise long after the biological changes have taken root in the brain. New drug treatments, however, will soon be able to be tested much earlier in the disease state, given advances in identifying individuals who are predisposed to this ravaging disease. For now, a healthy lifestyle, including eating well and exercise, are our best preventive measures.

While these are select highlights, there were many other informative workshops, presentations, and symposiums that took place during the three-day conference, including introductions at the National Seniors Council Older Worker workshop by our own Richmond-based Minister of State for Seniors Canada Alice Wong, and welcomes from B.C. Minister of Health Margaret MacDiarmid and SFU president Andrew Petter at the opening ceremonies. For more details, I encourage you to visit the CAG website at www.cagacg.ca.

Andrew Wister is a professor and chair of Simon Fraser University’s department of gerontology and served as chair for the 41st annual scientific and educational meetings of the Canadian Association on Gerontology.

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